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An Enemy Of The People – Review

Boyd Gaines and Richard Thomas sparring with seething and faltering restraint may be the finest five minutes on Broadway this year. There is a moment so powerful that the full house holds its collective breath. What good fortune that there is more than five glorious minutes to An Enemy Of The People.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz has adapted this Henrik Ibsen play, which was previously adapted by Arthur Miller. While there are many sparks of modernity in the dialogue it is still clearly Ibsen’s treatises. Mr. Gaines’ Dr. Thomas Stockmann is the voice of the playwright, driven by his pursuit of truth in black and white. Mr. Thomas plays his brother and town mayor Peter Stockmann. The mayor has an enormous investment in the small town’s baths business. He is also the benevolent benefactor arranging for his brother’s employment with the baths’ administration. The bohemian medical brother with his boisterous family is in stark contrast to the restrained top hat and walking stick mayoral brother. Their differences grow starker as the good doctor receives confirmation of his suspicions of water contamination in the baths. It is then that all hell breaks loose.

Many will experience the positions and platforms of journalism, politics and economics to be achingly timely, but in fact they are timeless. The shifting positions and arguments sound excruciatingly familiar but that is because they never change. The masses are not necessarily equipped to lead. Truth may feel more important than commerce, but eating is important. Loudly chanting rhetoric doesn’t make the rhetoric true. People tend to worship the one wearing the fanciest hat. Where these powerful themes fall short is in their obvious biographical nature. It becomes challenging during some of the more heated tirades to see past an angry playwright. The ending moment of the production reinforces this response.

It is through the powerful and nuanced performances which include; Gerry Bamman(Alaksen,) Michael Siberry (Morton,) John Procaccino (Hovstad) that the whole becomes flawless. Directed elegantly by Doug Hughes, the characters and action seem to float. The staging and sound (David Van Tieghem) of the town meeting scene is simply fantastic. The audience, with very little fanfare, seamlessly morphs into the townspeople. We are not just being told how mob mentality develops we experience it firsthand. John Lee Beatty’s set is starkly apt and very cleverly designed. It’s less of a set and more of a world.

This Manhattan Theatre Club production should be seen for the very fine performances, intriguing themes, splendid production, and believe it or not; the laughs.

The Cost Of Creativity

26 Jul

The playwright Sarah Ruhl (In The Next Room) has written an essay about her choice to stage a review-less production. Ms. Ruhl will direct her work Melancholy Play as part of the 13P. It is a very limited run without previews or press invitations. This aligns with 13P’s mission of producing plays versus developing plays. The goal presumably is to get a play in front of an audience without interference. Ms. Ruhl elegantly defends this artistic process in her essay. And there would be no argument with any of her assertions if it wasn’t for the fact that the audience is being asked to purchase tickets. (I would also add that using the press to promote a play in which the press is not invited could be construed as a bit designing.)

Ms. Ruhl is using 13P to its best advantage and getting experimental with her own play. The addition of live music is adding costs, complications and creativity to one of her older works. Supposedly that is why she asserts; “It didn’t feel fair to me to burden the production team with the pressure of reviews when we were already embarking on something so insanely ambitious given our resources.” There are just a few too many flaws in that assertion to ignore:

Working in a vacuum is rarely a good idea; art needs air.
Directing one’s own work is a slippery little endeavor and unchecked can often become what is commonly known as a ‘private behavior’
Criticism is not the enemy
Reviews are for the benefit of an audience

Ms. Ruhl goes on to say that “…the press desires more bravery from artists and yet, in its very call for bravery, ends up eliciting timidity because of asrtists’ fear of public opinion.” This may very well be true for many artists (poets and visual artists come to mind.) But anyone who writes for the stage, directs for the stage or gets up on a stage is doing so for an audience (aka public opinion.) Plays don’t hang on gallery walls and actors don’t live on shelves. They come alive in front of an audience. Unlike a gallery or bookstore, there hasn’t been curation for 13P. In fact the very mission of 13P is to avoid the critiquing process that often stalls a play before it can get to production. Discouraging reviews, which in essence are post-production curation, and charging patrons is the equivalent of charging people to walk through studios of random artists. An audience wants to be moved, they want to see something anew, they want to feel as if they are part of the experience not just paying for someone’s hobby.

In the end a review wouldn’t have impacted an 11 performance run of a play in any discernible way. I dare say it is not the production that is being protected here but the reputation of the creative team. Nobody likes being told that what’s important to them is not important to someone else. But real art cannot grow if artists are concerned with being liked. I agree with Ms. Ruhl that there needs to be room to try new things with limited risk. If we are to have any chance of avoiding a world in which the majority of staged productions are the result of a book-to-film-to-stage deal we need to make space for creativity. But surely we are creative enough to do so without asking strangers to blindly support the development of new work. We have workshops, showcases, readings and friends for this reason.

1 Comment

Posted by Anonymous on July 26, 2012 in Uncategorized

Tags: Addison Dewitt, art, Brenda Tobias, Broadway, criticism, Review, Sarah Ruhl, Theatre

Storefront Church – Review

21 May

The Atlantic Theatre has had a recent facelift. And like a lot of us small unassuming people when having 8.5 million dollars at one’s disposal, they have rendered themselves unrecognizable. There is a lobby now, and a box office, and that odd musty smell is gone, and that’s nice. But the house now looks like every other house. Gone are the oddly pitched bleacher seats, the modest stage and what made the space so unique; the public restroom in the wings. The stage is now massive, there’s a fly (or perhaps two) and the seats are brand new and set somewhat below the apron. It looks shiny and new, but it’s lacking in character.

Aptly, the new space is being christened with Storefront Church. Written and directed by John Patrick Shanley’s, Storefront Church is the final installment in his “church and state” trilogy. (The first two were Doubt and Defiance.) Storefront Church would not be recognizable as part of this trilogy, except we are told that it is. Doubt, about the Catholic Church, and Defiance about the military (both directed by Doug Hughes) were tightly told tales of imposing institutions. It’s difficult to put the same dramatic significance upon banking.

The story is about faith and the mortgage business. (That’s “AND” not “IN”) and is as creaky as it sounds. Issuing a second mortgage to a poor risk doesn’t seem to have the same resonance as that of child molestation or the moralistic labyrinth of the military. If we are to extrapolate the insidious racism at work in the refinance industry, why is the recipient of the second mortgage married to a white Jewish man? That may be just too “riddle wrapped in an enigma” for me. The first act is at times a demonstration of the new technical toys at the theatre’s disposable. The stage crew seemed to be on stage as much as the cast. (Doubt and Defiance were simply staged powerful pieces.) There are so many scene changes in the first act that whatever power was there, was part of what got swept up by the crew (I’m not kidding, they come out and sweep the stage while we watch.) There are (massive) set changes twice, to stage soulful staring on a bench. A song plays for each of these stareathons. “Snow” falls for one of them, which may provide a nice wink for The Hunchback of Notre Dame riff, but is distracting as it keeps accidentally falling throughout the play. (That’s not a technical problem, fake snow always does that.) The Hunchback reference is interesting but is a bit belabored. When the play opens on a bug-eyed droopy-lipped Reed Van Druyten (the stunning Zach Grenier) and Ethan Goldklang (the powerful Bob Dishy) is holding the book and talking about it; we get it. There is one reference in Act II that should stay because it’s funny, but the others? Well that’s why you shouldn’t necessarily direct your own new work.

Another director might not bring out the beauty that Mr Shanley does in his actors, but he might have also had a little heart-to-heart with the playwright. The theme of the play is far too vague to burden it with superfluous scenes and lumbering set changes. This becomes even clearer during Act II. There are only two scenes and they are perfectly written. They are clear, powerful, engaging and terribly moving.

The cast includes Tonya Pinkins who (much to the audience’s delight) sings a spiritual. That voice! Her role is not large, but she is absolutely delightful. Giancarlo Esposito (Donaldo) and Ron Cephas Jones (Chester) are incredibly convincing as the Bronx Borough President and Pastor. Their (lengthy) scene in the first act is clunky and far too esoteric, but they do a splendid job with it. The wonderfully smarmy Jordan Lage (Tom) rounds out the cast. You know Tom, you’ve worked with Tom, you want to hurt Tom.

Storefront Church is in previews and will be open June 11 – June 24. If Act I can more resemble Act II this will be a stunning play. As it is now, it should be seen for the performances. It is rare to see a collection of seasoned actors like this in such an intimate space.

The Lyons – Review

12 Apr

The Lyons is an incredible one-act play conjoined to an impaired second act. Linda Lavin is simply magnificent as Rita Lyons, a woman (literally) waiting for her husband Ben (Dick Latessa) to die. Some of the most riotous sidesplitting moments come from the sparring between the two. Mr. Latessa is wonderfully cast and plays Ben with such candor and sensitivity. Rita’s dialogue is peppered with such bon mots one can only wonder of the ruin in lesser hands. But under Mark Brokaw’s direction, Ms. Lavin’s interpretation is simply perfect. When a play seems to have such perfectly timed humor it’s difficult to review. If the summary is completely accurate, readers will have a skewed expectation that the reviewer did not have. How then do you communicate the sophistication and spot on accuracy of the very funny dialogue, without potentially disappointing an audience? Well, once the curtain rose in the dainty Cort Theatre for the second act, that particular conundrum ebbed.

While Ben and Rita’s adult children (Curtis and Lisa) appear in the hospital room in the first act, their parents are still there to do the heavy lifting. Curtis (Michael Esper) and Lisa (Katie Jennings Grant) are ‘adult children’ in the truest sense. They have victimized themselves to the point of utter infantile dysfunction. (No doubt much will be said about this play (by Nicky Silver) being about a dysfunctional family. I did not see any signs of a family not interacting effectively. The adult children have ruined their lives but that does not make the family itself dysfunctional.) The actors are solid interpreters of very dull characters. Both “children” are on the other side of 30. Curtis is incapable of ever having a romantic relationships; ever. He’s also never supported himself, but that’s almost beside the point. Lisa is an alcoholic with a self-destructive streak to beat the band. She seems to have some sort of savior impulse that does not extend to her family and does not seem to have an organic root. Damaged characters can be interesting, (Ms. Lavin’s previous gig in Other Desert Cities proves that.) These two people are not an example of that particular genre. Drawing them the way Mr. Silver has, does evoke a response in the audience. But as it is frowned upon to get up on stage and perform a duo of “snap out of it” smacks, there’s no outlet for the frustration.

The second act opens with a scene in an empty (for sale) apartment. It is a long awkward scene (following an intensely paced and hysterical first act) that takes far too long to make a minor point, which could have been made off-stage. According to the Playbill, there is normally a scene preceding this scene; depicting Lisa at Alcoholic Anonymous. Omitting entire scenes seems a radical move during previews, but no doubt it’s been done before. In its place (it seems) is a walk-on by dead Ben. Never a fan of the dead returning for an encore, I found this very jarring. The Lyons is a starkly realistic play and there’s really no room for ghosts.

It is comforting that the final scene takes place in the hospital room of the first act. We are reminded of the promise of that first hour. It must be said that The Lyons has a very satisfying ending. Surrounded by a different audience I might have actually leapt to my feet and whooped. The fact that the second act is (currently) in such disarray, should not stand in the way of seeing this play. Simply to see Linda Lavin and Dick Latessa spar and jar is worth the trip. It is safe to say that no one will ever play this role like Ms. Lavin does. She is simply remarkable. There are beautiful moments and resonating truths throughout the play. Quite frankly, The Lyons is like most of us; it could use a little improvement.

2 Comments

Posted by Anonymous on April 12, 2012 in Uncategorized

Tags: Brenda Tobias, Broadway, Dick Latessa, Kate Jennings Grant, Linda Lavin, Mark Brokaw, Michael Esper, Nicky Silver, Other Desert Cities, Review, The Lyons, Theatre

The Lady From Dubuque – Review

01 Apr

Edward Albee is not for the faint of heart. You would not take in a matinee of his, expecting a light and frothy afternoon. What you will get is a beautifully crafted peek into the human spirit. Those spirits are fighting for their lives in The Lady From Dubuque (Signature Theatre.)

Set in a suburban home, the play takes place over the course of one night and the following day. The play (directed by David Esbjornson) opens on three couples playing a party game that involves the (oft repeated) phrase; “Who am I?” The hosts Sam (Michael Hayden) and Jo (Laila Robins) bear a passing resemblance to another Albee couple; George and Martha. In this case however, Sam is weakened by the kryptonite of his wife’s terminal disease. Jo is biting, but not nearly to the degree to which she is entitled. Their friends are mostly silly. Edgar (Thomas Jay Ryan) and Lucinda (Catherine Curtin) are that special blend of vapid and shrill that makes some people phobic of the suburbs. Fred (C.J. Wilson) and his girlfriend (Tricia Paoloccio) are at least interesting by virtue of his vulgarity and her preening. There’s a reason these people all drink.

A bit past the midway of the first act, Jo rapidly deteriorates in (literal) gut wrenching pain. It is difficult to watch the exquisite portrayal. When Edgar demands that Jo, writhing in agony on the floor, get up and go apologize to his wife, Lucinda for an insult, it is almost too much to witness. But then he points out what is so true it can not be discounted; his wife did not cause Jo’s pain, but Jo had caused Lucinda’s. As Jo struggles to her feet, she is living rather than dying. It is her last act of physicality. The first act ends with a cresendo of agonizing wails and the appearance of an otherworldly figure; Elizabeth (Jane Alexander) and a dashing escort; Oscar (Peter Francis James.)

The tone of the second act is decidedly more physical, combative and high stakes. Sam is frightened by the arrival of Elizabeth, who claims to be Jo’s mother. His hysteria heightens and results in him being restrained (and ‘put to sleep’ with a strategic touch by Oscar.) While he cannot articulate it, Sam knows who these people really are and why they are there. The reality of death is simply far too painful for him to realize.

The rhythm and banter of Albee’s dialogue is a perfect conduit for this allegory. His characters are so raw and real they create a platform for the surrealism that could feel forced or twee. This play was not well received in 1980. Death rarely is. The only sticking point, for this audience member, was the treatment of race. Much is made of Oscar’s “blackness” and the transition from superfluous racial humor to minstrel is rapid and unpleasant. No doubt there is a dramatic intent, it just alluded me.

This is a flawless and beautiful production and should be seen by many.

Here She Is Boys

Tag Archives: Review

An Enemy Of The People – Review

The Cost Of Creativity

Storefront Church – Review

The Lyons – Review

The Lady From Dubuque – Review

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